Michael Chiarellois coming to San Francisco, but he's not bringing his Italian cookbook.

After searching for months for a restaurant in the city, Chiarello - the chef-owner of the popular Bottega in Yountville - has finalized a lease on Pier 5, in the space of the short-lived Lafitte, where he plans to open a Spanish-inspired restaurant and bar in the spring.

"I watched and listened to friends and customers who come to Bottega, and where they are traveling," he says. "Spain, to some extent, is the new Italy."

Chiarello points to restaurants in other big American cities, like Casa Mono in New York and Jose Andres' restaurants in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Although there are some good Spanish restaurants in San Francisco, Chiarello says the local market is ripe.

The Embarcadero location is also ripe for the market, just steps away from the Ferry Building. Another draw is the dual nature of the space, with a significant outdoor area for the bar, a switch from the Lafitte days. It'll be a place to have a cocktail overlooking the water.

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"Moving the bar into the pavilion section will activate it, give it a reason to be, instead of overflow seating," he says. Inside, there will be an additional 45 to 50 seats in the dining room and tapas bar. The entire space will be remodeled, including the open kitchen, which will get a wood-fired oven. ("I think it's important to have some fire on the water, to warm it up a little bit," Chiarello quips.)

In an interesting little twist, Chiarello's new neighbor is Charles Phan, who is opening Hard Water in the winter. And just like Chiarello's newfound Spanish infatuation, Phan is opting for a different cuisine: Hard Water will take its cue from New Orleans.

"The difficulty in going to a new cuisine is you have to build an authority for it," Chiarello says. "We had to try 50 croquetas, from mom-and-pop places to (Michelin-starred) Arzak. You establish a benchmark and then you say, 'How will we do this?'

"We tried to look through a slightly different lens, as something that will fit a Northern California menu."

Mama's family: With all due respect to Original Joe's, Park Tavern and Tony's (which opens its offshoot, Capo's, this weekend), Mama's remains the Washington Square Park restaurant with the longest lines.

The family-run daytime spot (1701 Stockton St.) still attracts the masses after 60 years of business. Now, word around North Beach is that the Mama's folks are flirting with pursuing a second restaurant in the neighborhood.

They confirm they've expressed interest in the former Piazza/Rossi's Market at Vallejo and Columbus. But that location has a restrictive conditional use on it, so stay tuned.

Change of Seasons: Seasons, the restaurant at the Four Seasons(757 Market St.), closed Monday, ending its run in the swanky decade-old hotel. The plan is to reopen in May as a completely different concept, but other details are under wraps.

Let this be the first name on the petition to bring back the old-school piano player, ditched in 2009 because of cost-cutting.

Beer gone wild: Despite hearty protests from a few neighbors last year, Mountain View will be getting a big-budget production in January with the arrival of Steins Beer Garden & Restaurant(895 Villa St.), a $2 million project spanning 12,000 square feet.

Beer will be the name of the game in Ted Kim's sprawling 300-seat venue, from the 30 taps to the fancy draught system, the indoor beer hall and two outdoor beer gardens, one of which will be used for private events. Food will be American comfort-style, from chef Colby Reade.

Oddly enough, Steins isn't even the biggest beer news around town. Down in Monterey, Cannery Row Brewing Co.(95 Prescott Ave.) has lured Guinness World Records as it attempts to break the record for the most beers on draft at a single location, with 71 Sierra Nevada brews at once. Because why not.

The Monterey stunt also provides an opportunity to share other beer-related world records from the Guinness World Records site.

Most varieties of beer commercially available: 2,004, at a bar in Belgium appropriately named Delirium.

Most pint glasses balanced on a head: 235, by John Evans for 13 seconds.

Most pint glasses balanced on a chin: 81, by Ashrita Furman for 12 seconds.

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